Friday 10.05.13
We packed our stuff for 3 months in a
few hours. We tried to get all the essentials - water filter,
clothing, flashlights, medication etc to our hand luggage in case of
a plane crash or lost luggage on the way. We said goodbyes to
beautiful, emerging Finnish summer and headed towards the adventure.
Our trip began from the Pirkkala
Airport. Flight to Frankfurt Hahn and a bus from there to Frankfurt
Mainz. The road was really beautiful and we saw a blooming spring
with huge trees, green canyons and tree-planted mountains. Young
specie rich forests were a clear sign that the Germans were not just
talking about restoring the biodiversity, soil and sustainable
environmental management methods.
Another thing that caught the eye were
the huge wind-turbine fields in the horizon. On the 1,5 hour trip we
saw hudreads of turbine towers above the fields and forests. This was
again an indicator that Germans are trying to adapt to sustainable
standards.
 |
| Maria resting on the Landing Strip |
Saturday 11.05.13
Night in Frankfurt airport was rather
boring. A drugged psychotic Russian man tried to get our attention by
shouting insultations for fifteen minutes and after not getting any
decided to go to sleep frustrated somewhere. An US-AID volunteer from
Pakistan had her 47 year birthday in the airport and we had time to
discuss about permaculture, Moringa, chemtrails, weather control,
crooked business incentives and other interesting stuff.
After 16 hours of waiting we hopped
into the plane to Dubai. Emirates plane was more like a flying hotel
with good service, lot of virtual activities and rather good food. I
noticed that only the afforded games sucked and contacted the Manse
Games Antti & Kimmo to promote a new field of business to Tampere
game companies. They did not answer anything but hopefully they
thought it was a good idea.
On the way to Dubai we flew over Iraq
in the night time. When the sun was set the horizon started to fill
with explosions and gunfire. An area sized hundreds of kilometers
from Bangladesh to north-west was a warzone with no other visible
light than flashes of destructive war. This made me think of the
future of humand kind - how will we survive as a species with
depleting resources, growing hate, inheriting violence and abusement
of each other? I did not get into any other conclusion but that we
must try our best..
Landing to Dubai was an experience as
well. Hundreads of oil trucks were driving through line straight
drawn streets on the desert. Megalomaniacly huge towers were rising
in the middle of nothingness. The airport walls were covered with
running water and the coloring of the interiors were aqua blue -
imitating the oasises of the vast desert. It felt really bad to
urinate into water closet in the middle of sand - in a land where
most of the water is imported elsewhere. Apartments-sized elevatros
were running automatically 24/7 to free people from the horrible
effort of pressing a button. The whole airport was a huge shopping
centre with a lot of international people and ninja-suited muslim
women. After looking around we decided to rest of the benches for a
while before continuing to the next flight. My night was bit
restless, mainly just guarding the sleep of fellow people from my
fears raising from the unknown environment. Nothing happened exept
people came and went away on their flights and suddenly it was
morning again. It was time to go on.
 |
| Dubai Airport Interior Decorations |
Sunday 12.05.13
We moved to our gate and met a German
woman who was living in Lusaka with her husband and children. She
told that getting a work permit in the country was really difficult
and that she had decided to stay as a house wife because she had
given up trying to get the permit.
Plane was not that luxorious at this
time, but luckily the views on the daylight equator kept the mind
wondering around the mountains, raising clouds, sungold reflecting
twingling rivers and weird formations caused by agricultural
activities. Flight took 7 hours but was over before I noticed.
Finally we were in Lusaka.
We could not get a 3 month visa right
away but had to pay 80$ for a one month visa. No other problems
occured in the airport. Flight was still two hours late but luckily
Webby and his friend Daniel were waiting for us outside. They drove
us to the Kalulu Backpackers for 200Kr. Night in a simple room costed
250Kr a night and according to our contact person Webby that was
decent in the area. We went to eat in a nearby hostel and asked for
the prices which were close to similar. We realized that we could not
afford to stay for long so we started planning how to move on as
quickly as possible. We met Global Dry Toilet Association of Finland
cooperative organization representative Emmanuel Mutamba from the
Green Living Movement in the evening and decided to visit their
office the next day after getting phones and an internet connection.
 |
| Lusaka Streets |
Monday 12.05.13
We woke up at Kalulu Hostel in the
morning and started to hunt for phone and internet connections from a
nearby Manda Mall. Prices were astonishingly ridiculously huge, but
we were left with very little options. After getting the things we
needed and eating we were picked up by Green Living Movement
financial administrator and we walked together to the GLM
office. There we met the other GLM workers along wih Clyve, Emmanuel
and Emma, who was a Finnish volunteer from Helsinki University.
Emmanuel shortly briefed us about the
ongoing projects in Serenge which we will see later this week.
Emma walked us near to the Finnish
Embassy where we discussed with Ville Luukkanen and Marjoa Ahonen
about the coming Finnish Zambian Business Theme Week. We left our
contact information to the embassy and agreed that we can attend the
conference on tuesday 21st. We shared the idea of creating
a service consept including dry toilets, agricultural education, food
processing equipment and market connections. This would create lot of
business opportunities for Finnish experts and help the
locals/customers to pay for the services while developing target area
sanitation infrastructure, fertilizer production, agricultural
practices and trading opportunities.
Ville thought idea sounded interesting
and recommended us to meet Ecolet representatives after they arrive
to the Lusaka in monday 20th . This would allow us to plan
commercial dry sanitation programs in Zambia to create
self-sustaining and self-funding methods for improved waste
management.
After Embassy visit walked back to
Kalulu hostel after getting cheated by a local fruit merchant along
the road side. She sold us a bag of fruits with nearly 37Kr but ended
up charging 27Kr even after we agreed. Later on we noticed that the
price could not have been that high for what we bought but at least
we had the chance to give straight support for the farmers without
getting too much economical damage.
We called IRDI manager Jaqui Wintle on
the way and decided that we would try to meet on tuesday 14th
after visiting Madimba site. At Kalulu we met Obed Kawanga who
promised to show us around the Madimba site next tuesday 14th.
He seemed to be exited having us there and told us that the students
have pretty much the same project areas every time and that there
would be a lot to do for us so that we could decide what we would
like to focus on. We called taxi driver James if he could drive us
there, but he was not available that early. We called Obed and he
promised to pick us up at 7.15. Our night streched in the Broads
Hostel restaurant where we met and Indian-British man, who had been
working in Congo Mines, but the equipment was moved to other location
and he was left without work. After visiting the British Embassy and
trying to get his passport renewed demand was rejected and he was
left with no citizenship. We recommended him to taking contact to
Amnesty International and to try to get counciling from a local
office - if one exists. He thanked us. We also met a marketing
student from South Luangwa and gave her information about crowd
funding platforms if they could help in her career development.
We came back to the hostel and wrote
the first part of our travelling diary. The clock was it the moment
way too much considering the morning wake-up..
 |
| Lusaka Streets |
Tuesday 14.05.13
Visit to Medimba. Network for
environmental solutions (NGO). Research/prototyping project for
scalable methods. Necos founded in 2004. Trying to improve sanitation
methods in communities. Trying to improve economical benefits along
the ecologicals.
Goals:
- Reduction of groundwater
contamination. Improvement of waste management.
- Improvement of food security and
nutrition through local gardens. Spread ecological awerness. Tree
planting. Cooperate with other organizations to provide the best
practices in the communities. Quality of the environment and
sustainable structure of communities.
Components:
- Construction of dry toilets -
especially in high water table areas. Demo garden for compost
utilization in permaculture and agroforestry. Medimba hygiene
improvement by providing education, hand wash equipment, Eco- and
Health Clubs for educating and participating young generations,
distribute soap and chlorine.
- Madimba Livelyhood project: Educating
how the communities can sustain their own infrastructure: making
building blocks, hand washing equipment, enterprise building, manure
fertilizer production.
- HIV/AIDS project: New Hope (NGO) to
educate people about HIV-issues
- Medimba Solid Waste project:
Collecting solid waste from the area through waste collection
containers. Recycling improvement goals. Madimba Solid Waste
Enterprise to create a self-supporting community based entity. Empty
the toilets, process the waste and distribute the
- Madimba Urban Agriculture Project:
Educate how to set-up farming in urban areas, how to use
permacultural principles, how to use compost and urine as fertilizer.
Demogarden, yard gardens,
- Madimba Climate Change Project: Women
running the project to prepare response for climate change in
communities. Education and responsibility training - trying to
empower communities to solve their own problems and to combat against
malaria mosquitos.
- Shallow Wells Improvement project:
Protecting the wells to avoid mosquito spreading, kids falling in and
waste ending up to the reservoir. 300 shallow wells, 40 protected
buried units. Others covered.
- Culture Project to create events
(festivals etc.), workshops and training programs to younger
generations especially in government schools. Library projects, eco-
and health clubs, participating the youth in environmental
responsible action. Goal to have a permanent effect through adapting
young generations to ecological community development.
- Water Kioskes to provide safe water
for the communities
- Artisans to implement the
construction plans. Also training of new artisans to improve the
building capacity of the communities.
Madimba Sustainable Sanitation is the
proposition to Helsinki University:
How to develop urban agroforestry, dry
sanitation and waste management in synergy.
Encouraging permacultural practices.
Greenhouse project for seedling growing and distribution to
communities.
Goal to test and prove the concepts,
build organization models and spreading the information to other
parts of Zambia. Improving the components and supporting
infrastructure capacity. Training and building through volunteer
internship programs.
Work in Kauwe, Serenje where a dry
toilet building training started. Demonstration sites also elsewhere
to show an example of dry sanitation. Participating in Green Expo and
other exhibitions to create contacts to cooperatives.
Promoting policy change to government
to improve and create incentives to build ecological infrastrucutre.
17th a visit to the ministry to promote the methods.
Workshops to educate people in
maintaining
2005 project plan started. 2008
implementing began. 105 dry toilets, research, urban agriculture
proto-farm, waste management improvement. Suggestion: Taking dry
sanitation issues into consideration in high groundwater
infrastructure planning projects.
Project should be monitored and
supported to prove the consept in other areas as well.
NWASCO - Regulates the utility
companies,
Regulating only touches those
communities attached to the conventional sewerage systems. How to
improve the methods outside the sewerage networks? -- NECOS
Suggestion:
Within low income communities it is
possible to empower vulnerable marginalizes by employing and
educating those in demanding positions. Also providing not only food
and shelter to vulnerable parts of population, but proper water and
sanitation facilities as well.
How to include dry sanitation programs
to government fertilizer supporting program.
Problems to be solved:
Maintenance, cost sharing and getting
people to feel responsibility of their infrastructure. Three
different models: OCHADRY, indigunous model, monogams model, polygams
model,
Improved (septic tank) models.
Separating the toilet to two containers
helps to compost the feces before spreading it to the ground risking
ground water contamination.
Having monitoring programs to provide
suitable maintenance programs.
How to raise the economical status of
communities to provide funding of the infrastructure projects. 200Kr
for waste container handling. Only 5-10% are willing to pay for local
infrastructure maintenance.
How to make communities to accept loans
for improvements? How to plan the payback programs through enterprise
supporting projects?
How to get funding for long-term
planning, education and infrastructure building?
All problems equally improtant, help in
any field is welcome. Ecovillage development and education the goal.
Brochures, planning in economical organization models, urban
agriculture design, greenhouse planning,
Consortium between the water
conservation organizations is been formed. Cooperative activity is
beign planned - which could be educations
CBE - Community Based Enterprises:
Better to divide the workload for
multiple companies at first because of the lack of capacity to run
bigger organizations immediately. When the organizational leadership
skills improve, it is possible to make fusions between the CBE's.
Companies are certified, activity is
accounted and results monitored.
Non-working sanitation endangers both
the shallow wells and borehole wells. How to create a working value
net to create incentive and pleasant practices to make the
improvement of santation desirable.
Questions:
Curriculum for training trainers at
first?
Artisans are being
taught to build dry toilets. They can also train each other.
Internship programs
in cooperation with international universities, to create
connections, share knowledge and experience and also to solve
problems together.
Would forming a CBE-education center
help?
NECOS supporting
the growth of the components sustainably. Inhouse training on ECB's
to provide leadership, accounting, planning and legislative skills to
entrepreneurs. Identifying the skills in the area and providing
knowledge and financial help to set up enterprises among the active
people. Questioning how to support, what would help the most and to
advise to avoid common mistakes.
Connecting actor to
micro-finance-organizations. Looking for ways to increase the
production capacity. Telling to the communities about the components
to create a feedback-loop between the planning and implemention.
Any surveys made among the locals
about the opinions about DryToilets?
Impact-study have
been made and students will receive it. Questionnaires have been
already made but takes more field work to get all the results. We
will get a translator to help with the community research. 15
research documents already been done
We walked around
Madimba area to see the dry toilets, a pilot farm and the people
living in the area. What caught an eye was the bad shape of
communitiy activity in the area. Toilets were in good shape, but
trash could be found everywhere, lot of cultivable plots were left
unplanted, ditches were not sufficient and not many kids went to
schools.
Area looked like it
could easily be developed with decent resources and a method that
stucked into my mind was the Community Based Entrepreneurship.
I also took notes
about how dry toilet urine pipes should be metallic to avoid rat
damages and leaks, New NECOS office in Madimba would need a compost
tea boiler (meaning a barrel and an air pump), n2-fixing plants and
underwatering piping to the fields, plastic covers to prevent
evaporation and overheat, vertical gardening platforms to the sunny
but ugly walls and educational material to help setting up the
educational services. We continue to work with these issues as soon
as we get to move to the new compound after getting our job done in
Kaloko.
 |
| Madimba Compound Area |
Wednesday 15.05.13
This day was spent
travelling from Lusaka to Kaloko, from Kaloko to Serenje and from
Serenje to Chibobo. In Kaloko we met some of the local authorities
and villagers, went to see our future home and looked around the
places quickly to see what are the things we need to take with us
next time. After the quick visit we moved to Serenje. We saw a lot of
places on the way, cities, villages, road side markets, road stops,
forests, fields etc.
We arrived to
Serenje in the evening and picked up Chibobo cordinator Boyd from
there. From Serenje we arrived to Chibobo and went to sleep almost
immediately.
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| Local Transportation Styles - who needs a rope if you want to kill just others.. |
Thursday 16.05.13
This day we spent
visiting the local agroforestry fields. Mr. Spider Mbulu took us to
see his 50ha field he was maintaining with his wife. Here is the data
collected from the trip:
List of grown
plants and usages:
- Pine - grows
mature in 15 years, can be used for construction and combustion.
Government supports
the cultivation by promising to act as a customer. Also government
owned plantatons.
- Jakaranda - wind
breaker, shade, good for small scale construction
- Cinderella Donna
Ciata (medicine), charcoal, timber
Nitrogen fixing
trees - used in 3-4 year cycles and let to decompose in the field by
burying in the plantation mounds. Also other leftovers buried in the
mound rows to work as fertilizers.
- Cresida Sepiam
- Bagnamagalanta
(very efficient)
- Tefrosa Vulgari -
can also be used in pesticide production
- Tefrosa Cantida
- Acasya
- Acatenge - also
seeds used as cattle feed
- Lucina - also
seeds used as cattle feed
- (Mandala Guanda?)
Medicine trees:
- Celas Nameja
(medicine)
- Jatrova - can
also be used for strong pesticides
- Moringa
Food trees:
Makspan Apple
(Mana)
Mukulumbisha
Yama Suku
(harvested in Nov-Dec)
Umucongo (good
yield indicates bad harvest next year)
Wasansa (harvested
in August)
Food crops:
Maize
Tomato
Eggplant
Sugar Cane
Cajanas Cajan /
Pidgeon Pea (N2-fix)
Soya Beans (N2-fix)
Bembala Beans
(n2-fix)
Njiangu Beans
(n2-fix)
Millet
Honey Melon
Wasansa
Acre - used for
making good taste soda
Pineapple
Orange
Apple
Figue
Banana
Cocoa
Coffee
Honey
All the beans are
left to dry on the field before harvesting
Notices: Crop
rotation and nitrogen fixing in the fields are working very well.
Fields would need phosphorous as well, which could be increased
through adding urea, manure or so called ”chemical fertilizers”,
which can mean plenty of things.. Urea the most cost-efficient
option, phoshorous rock another option, but its price will increase
and it production is estimated to peak with heavy downfall latest at
2040.
Keeping the
phosphorous in cycling is essential and manure usage and optimal
dosages are the best ways to ensure that.
Plants that could
introduced:
Reddish, garlic,
nuts, seed-crops (sesame, sunflower, avocado, hemp), kale, chia,
alfaalfa, algae, expensive mushrooms (which?)
Processed products
to be developed:
Sun-dried tomato,
seed oils, moringa powder, ”super-pestos”, honey,
cocoa-butter/beans, peanut-butter, soya-milk/-cream, sweet potato jam
& juice, fruit jam/powder, fermented cabbage, canned/dried
mushrooms,
When farmers are
selling their materials raw, they will lose the most nutrients from
their fields with the least profits. That is why local product
processing is relevant - to keep as much nutrients on a local level
and increasing the created value of exports.
 |
| Sunny Day in the Bush |
Friday 17.05.13
Today we learnt
about Tree Nurseries and planted around 400 Moringa trees.
First planting soil
was mixed in the shade by digging nutrient rich (dark) soil from the
renewing fields and bringing sand/grey soil/gravel (which available)
and manure to the spot. 2 parts of dark soil, 1 part of manure and 1
part of sand/gravel/grey soil was added in the mixture and stirred
well. Water was added to create a coherse structure. Polyvinyl bags
(~3L) were filled with the mixture and holes were poked in the
bottom. Bags were carried to a shady place next to a well and seeds
were planted in the depth of 3cm and covered loosely with the
mixture. Some dry grass could be added over to prevent evaporation,
but this was not done this time. Bags were watered well and left to
the shade. Trees are pregrown until the bag is filled with roots and
then by cutting the bag open, trees are planted in ditched mounds
without disturbing the soil and watered well to ensure good start in
the new environment. After planting we had time to discuss with the
villagers about their desires about the village development, which is
summarized in the next days section.
 |
| Planting Moringa with Chibobo Villagers |
Saturday 18.05.13
Natural Pesticide
Workshop.
All solutions are
stored in shade away from the reach of children or household animals.
Proper protective gear (protection glasses, protective mask, gloves)
recommended while preparing the solutions.
Following plants
were used by the villagers to prevent pests in fields, storages and
households:
Tefrosa Vulgari
presented by Lena Chola:
25kg bag full of
leaves are pound in a mortar and soaked in 10 liters of water for
5-24 hours. Sieved well after soaking and sprayed on crops.
Used against
pumpkin (big) and bean (small) infesting beetles, Cesbanja Cesban
critters (small hairy catepillars). Can be used in fields and in
storages. Adding two cups of powder in 50kg maize bag will prevent
termites.
Chili (Bird's
Eye) & Tobacco Mixture presented by Dianette Synga:
3 big Tobacco leaves and handful of chili fruits mixed and pounded,
soaked in 2l water for 24h. Sieved and sprayed.
Used against Afids, Locasts & Stock Borals
Popo presented
by Violet Ching
25kg bag of leaves pounded and soaked in 10 liters of water for 24
hours. 1 tablespoon of detergent pesticide Dynamo added. Sieved and
sprayed. Can be stored.
Used against black bean afids, sweet potato brista beetles or storage
floor washing to prevent termites.
Jatrova
10kg bag of leaves pounded and soaked in 5l water for 24h, stirred
well, put in a bag and press the liquid out. Sprayed.
Used against house pests like rats, mice, cocroaches, ants and field
beetles.
Swatzia
Madagascariencis (Indale) presented by Royce Kawamba:
10kg bag of leaves plus 20 pods mixed and pounded. Soaked in 5l of
water for 24 hours. Sieved and sprayed. Very effective.
Used against rats, mouses, frogs, birds, black ant nests. Storage
floor can be washed with this to prevent termites for - said to be -
three years.
Mixature of them
all presented by Joyce Mwanje:
5kg bagful of every leaf, mixed, pounded and soaked in 10l of water
for 24h. Sieved and sprayed. Very effective, day after use water not
added. Watering by spraying for 6 days before eating anything.
Also raw ash or soaked in water for min. 6h can be used against small
pests.
Underground pests can be reduced by pouring liquid to the nest holes.
Some stubborn pests cannot be killed with these, such as Kafuwabi
(prevents to be dead when spotted, but comes back to life
afterwards), Gonombelesha, green lobcasts, one black bean insect that
leaves when pesticided, but comes back after the effect reduces.
Chicken can eat some larvae and cats can eat mice.
All preparation stages work is shared equally and usually the
pesticides are shared equally as well, unless some field is suffering
considerably more of pest attacks.
Discussion with
the villagers about village development wishes
Biggest challenge that everyone agreed was the hardiness of using
hose in cultivation. This is the limiting factor in the field sizes
and by gettin plow cattle farmers could significantly increase their
cultivation areas. They wanted cattle, because they run without fuel,
provide manure, are more easily maintained by local skills and
provide meat after death.
They had no cattle because they had no money to buy it. Getting
cattle by loan would increase their fields and ensure the payback
possibility. Price for plow oxes vary from 3000-4000KR each and a
pair is needed to pull the plow. With shelter materials, vaccines and
extra feed the starting costs of keeping two cattle is around 10
000KR. HEIFEI, NP, KU or other microfinancing organization could
maybe provide the loan and we promised to ask about it for them.
Cattle is traditionally kept in Southern Province, where it could be
sold as well.
Members of the village groups all agreed to be voluntary to take a
collateral loan to get the cattle, vaccines, shelter, vet services
and extra feed. They said it would not be a problem to decide who
takes care of the cattle. They suggested making a calender in before
hand to equally share the usage time of cattle in the fields.
4 farmer groups with leding committees. GLM could guarantee the
contract and act as the signing participatory party. GLM
representative Emmanuel Mutamba thinks setting up the breeding
centers to provide cattle, cattle loan, vet-services and cattle
keeping education would be more effective, sustainable and
cost-effective.
Natural Social Development College, Zimbabwe Africa University,
Central Statistics Office, Agricultural Ministry, Food Reserve
Agency, SELL could act as partners providing information.
Another challenge villagers were facing was the water scarcity and
difficult usability wells. Water is hard to get from the well without
pumps and in the end of the dry season wells run out.
Suggestions for these challenges: Pump maintenance education and
spare part availability in villages or nearby towns. Improving
rainwater harvesting methods to fill wells during rain season.
Building sand dams to streams to fulfill groundwater reservoirs.
In the evening we headed to Kaubwe to dance and enjoy, taking a small
break from the duties and slept in Model Lodge.
 |
| Preparing Natural Pesticides from Zambian Indiegenous Trees |
Sunday 19.05.13
We travelled from Kaubwe to Lusaka discussing and planning the
concept that could provide educational services, equipment and cattle
for rural villagers. This is what we came up with GLM Team Leader
Emmanuel Mutamba:
Farmers' Best Practices Educational Center
Financing the
Institution:
- Chargeable education courses
- Selling equipment
- Selling crops and processed products from cooperative producers
- Renting Plow Cattle
- Pump, electronic, consultancy & maintenance services
- Government Sponsors for education and business development
- Donor Sponsors for education
Agroforestry
Education:
- Setting up Nurseries
- Plant Guilds (N2-fix, nutritionals, shades, timber, pesticidables,
cash crops, emergency backups)
- Crop Cycling
- Nutrient Cycling
- Zoning
- Organic Fertilizers
- Organic Pesticides
- Beekeeping
Agroforestry
products to sell
Seeds, bags, hoses, shovels, gloves, irrigation equipment, separation
toilets, bee nests, bee protective gear, composters
Water Management
Education:
- Water pump construction and maintenance
- Rainwater harvesting (roofs, ditches, catchment fields)
- Sand Dam Construction Leadership
- Well Drilling - choosing the location
- Dry Sanitation Construction
- Micro-irrigation systems
- Aqua- and Hydroponic production
Water Management
products to sell
Pumps, spare parts, maintenance services, water management
consultancy, sand dam construction tools, timber, cement, measurement
devices, water containers, irrigation piping & nozzles, drilling,
Animal Caretake
Education:
- Sheltering
- Feed
- Medication
- Hygience
- Milking
- Breeding
- Zoology
- Manure Handling
- Food Hygiency
Animal Caretake
products to sell:
Shelter materials, feed, medication, veterinary services, hygiency
chemicals, milk containers, refridgerators, breeding supply,
laboratory services, wheelcharts, cattle rent, milk, meat
Electricity
Education:
- Solar panel system installing and maintenance
- Microhydro generator installing and maintenance
- Safe small-grid installing
- Fault Checking and measurements
- Electricity Mathematics & Power Converters
Electricity
products to sell:
Solar pannels, batteries, connection wires, transformers, converters,
current measurement tools, micro-hydro generators, installing
equipment, electricity consultancy, installing services
Food Safety
Education:
- Food Product Markets
- Food Product Design
- Safe Processing Facilities & Methods
- Safe Packaging, Storaging & Preservatives (Chumba, Chilinda
Matula Dust etc.)
- Local Trading and timing
- Export Trading and timing
Food Safety
products to sell:
Consultancy, product design, processing design, processing setup,
package design, package services, preservatives and additives, retail
services
Computing
Education:
- Setting up cost-effcient Hardware
- Setting up Software
- Accounting
- Reporting
- Use of environmental sensors and tables
- Use of Internet and finding reliable sources
- Internet in trade network creation
Computing
products to sell:
- Computers, accessories, tables, repair and set-up services
Business
Education:
- Trade networking
- Market and pricing evaluation
- Product evaluation
- Sales timing
- Exports setup
Business products to sell
Retail services, marketing services, microfinancing evaluation,
accounting services
When we returned to Lusaka in the evening we called our finnish
friends in hope to get a plase to sleep before finding a place of our
own. Karri-Pekka Kauppinen was so lovely that he promised to take us
living in the same apartment with much more reasonable prices than
any of the hostels could provide. We decided to stay in the ”Finnish
Village” for a week until we should leave to Kaloko to evaluate the
sanitation project there. In here we had a room, big kitchen, big
livingroom, yard, pool, sauna and more luxuries than we had imagined
to have during the whole trip.
 |
| Maria, Karri-Pekka & the Dawgz |
Monday 20.05.13
I attended into Women Entrepreneurship & Microfinancing Seminar,
that was part of the Zambian Finnish Business Week. Here I met a lot
of local organization and business active women and exchanged contact
information. Seminar's target was to increase women leadership in
developing green business and network actors together. The morning
started at Radisson Blu hotel where I ate breakfast with the
representatives of Finnish Water Forum, Foreing Ministry, Ministry of
Employment & the Economy, Earthhouse Ltd, World Vision Finland
and FinnFund. We discussed a while about need for dry sanitation in
emerging cities in Lumwana mining areas.
Following organizations were mentioned during the day:
IAP,
(Innovation Against Poverty), PUSH (Programme Urban Self Help),
Access Bank, ILO (International Labour Organization), CHANCE, FREE,
ZRA (Zambia Revenue Authority), PACRA (Patents and Companies
Registration Agency), ACCA (Association of Chartered
Certified Accountants),
ZFAWIB (Zambia Federation Associations of Women in Business), MOWE
(Month of the Woman Entrepreneur), BPW (Business & Professional
Women), ZIHRM (Zambia Institution of Human Resource Management),
AGORA, FEMNET, AGOA, SADC, WEDAZ, ZCSMBA, BEE, NYDC
 |
| First proper meal in weeks! Enjoyed a lot! |
Sylvia Mwansa is the CEO of SBM invest and a leader of Ladies Circle
(Wives of the Round Table). She told how it is important in succesful
business to concentrate to looking value in people, not what is going
badly. She stated that succesful leadership is weighted in the times
you are gone.
Women are trustworthy in building green economy because they are more
committed to sustainability, have statistically less drinking and
motivational problems and also shop more acting as the economical
development drivers.
Siv Ahlberg from Finnpartnerships lectured that even when Finnish
women hold about 50% of jobs and are even more educated than male,
female hold nly 17% of leading positions. She stated that combining
both male and female perspectives to the management team gives much
richer and better results as a whole. Mrs. Ahlberg told that Finland
has free and equal educational system for all groups and genders, but
that women salaries are in average still only 80% of male salaries.
Siv also told that Finland has the need to develop the maternity
leave system to make young female workers to be in equal position
with men workers in application stage.
Theresa Banda, CEO in Standic Bank told that Women's businesses lack
formalization, financial literacy, accounting, start-up financing,
crediting from banks and services tailored for females. She admitted
that women are more sober, decisive, loyal and have good relationship
networks and skills in mouth-to-mouth marketing. She wished that
educational services for women entrepreneurs would increase and that
banks would start lending women entrepreneurs more money to get
started. Standic Bank offered legislative and financial services for
their customers.
Later on she also told that women could ensure their loans with their
businesses and entrepreneurship assets, so that when collateral hits
the fan they would only lose their company belongings, but not their
home or land.
These speeches gave me an idea about a business development concept
where women would be given/rented/sold a computer, barcode reader,
internet, accounting & inventory software and education courses
to get started with their businesses. Also business plan evaluation
or development could be served to have more sustainable business.
Roseta Mwape the CEO of Metal Fabricators of Zambia Plc. told how
very concern the industry was for environment, not that they would
give any value to it, but they needed to stay in business and they
did not want to destroy the entire world. She told that it would be
important to implement waste management, increase in renewable energy
and stop charcoal production by giving alternatives, such as crop
coal. She also told about a discussion where she was convinced that
waste producers should already pay for the waste management and then
move that as an increase to retail prices. Roseta thought that women
are more adaptable to new methods and solutions and more committed to
sustainability. She wished to see more women entrepreneur networks
educating, dealing and cooperating with each other.
This gave me an idea of providing women entrepreneur networks
workshop materials and educational courses. There would also be room
for a Start-Up Start-Up service for woman entrepreneurs.
ZWAFIB representor told about their organization offering advisory
groups, training, capacity building, business development services,
access to financing procedures & planning as well as networking
with others in scheduled meetings and national conferences. Their
challenges were lack of outreach capacity, market access, appropriate
technology for production and packaging and the bad quality of many
products.
The Child Minister of Zambia was also giving a formal speech and
telling how women were discriminated in financing, ownership and
educational fields in the country. 74% of population poor.
ZCSMBA representative told about how women needed more information
about business laws and opportunities through education and
networking cooperation.
WEDAZ was introduced to be helping with skills training and financial
instruments.
BPW kept training in good employer governance. Also gave financial
support for well planned projects. Aimed to improve efficiency,
ecology and economy as an ACCA cooperative.
Päivi Kannisto, a senior economic advisor of Foreign Ministry of
Finland told that gender equality was the major driver for economical
success in Finland, political unity was reached through common goals
and Finnish Business Policy Forum was for both genders. Agricultural
and forestry value chains were good in Finland, a lot to teach to
Zambians. Also saw a need for IT consultancy in Finland.
Jaakko Kangasniemi from FinnFund investment company introduced their
activities including annual 90 million € investments in about 20
companies in fields of forestry, pharmaceuticals, wind & hydro
energy, palm oil production, steel mills, mobile payment services and
agroforestry.
Tiina Saukkola(?) from World Vision Finland introduced the activities
of WVF network in 98 countries and 2,8 billion revenues. WV is acting
in fields of cleantech, microfinance, food security, economic &
educational development, community base organizations and focuses on
securing the lives of children. New concept Weconomy was underlined
as an important development step in the organizations activity. They
also had Vision Fund Zambia, which allocated annual 2 million $ to
development projects in Zambia. Two entrepreneurs that had benefitted
from the Fund introduced their interesting and inspiring stories how
hard work and trust in women can bring succes stories in the hardest
conditions.
After the seminar I started to look for educated unemployed women in
Zambia to plan together an entrepreneurship education for women
entrepreneur networks. I also contacted my business partners in
Finland to get proper education materials about pre-selling campaings
in the internet.
In the afternoon we visited with Tiina Saukkola(?) a US World Vision
development area that had been funded for 10 years with 1,2 million
$. Electricity, water, schools, food processing practices, tools,
cars, offices, roads and education had been provided to the villages.
Cultural and time usage related challenges were listed on top
priorities and WV had changed the approach during time to put weight
on business development capable communities. Villagers introduced us
to few of their ”Savings Groups”, which were consisted of around
10 people each. They had a metal box with 4 locks and keys shared to
4 different trustees. They held monthly meetings were everyone
brought their share (around 4$) to the box and money were accounted.
These savings acted as the insurance in case someone had to deal with
an accident they coul not afford. If nothing happened during 6
months, money was shared among the savers equally to provide a lump
sum to be invested into productive methods or neccesities. Villagers
did not have a microloan system, but this already the most simplest
form of savings group provided villagers with insurance and seasonal
investment opportunities.
Villagers were also mentioned to be provided with savings group
leadership and entrepreneurship training and long term planning for
their environment development.
Villagers also introduced us their businesses which were mostly
around fields of groceries, gardening, baking, poultry, kerosine
distribution, cooking, housing, second hand cloth sales and cattle
keeping.
In the future strategies of World Vision & World Bank following
words were underlined: Microfinancing, educational tools, self
sustainable business model, co-creation, innovation projects and
combined methods.
In the afternoon we came back to the Top Floor space to attend into
Mobile Monday seminar. iSchool, Nokia, Elisa, iClass and Kuopio
Innvation Center had representatives to keep introductions. We were
introduced new innovations about electronic educational devices -
tablet with a wide range of lectures, educational material and
homework. Ideas were great saving a lot of costs in books, notebooks,
pens, transportation and even class room space and high education for
teachers. Where electricity can be provided but not enough teachers,
these tools will be really useful. Especially iSchool with ~50$
tablet, 8 languages, 12,000 lessons approved by the ministry of
education and versions for pupils and teachers seemed to be really
interesting concept.
We were also presented the rapid growth in mobile and internet
connections in Africa. Most of the areas were already covered with
connections, but in Zambia only 28% of the people seemed to have
proper devices for network utilization. Nokia had set-up a AppCampus
Financing to finance application development in three stages ->
first round with 20k, second with 50k and third with 70k if the idea
and team were promising enough.
During the presentations I got an idea about Mobile Profession Kits -
combinations of sensor and softwares attachable to smart phones.
These instruments could give medical, environmental and engineering
capability to uneducated people by providing easy measurement and
analysis tools as well as interactive connections to relevant,
constantly developing databases.
30% of people globally online, 10% in Facebook.
There are huge emerging markets for mobile devices and services in
Africa and in Zambia as well.
 |
| Visit to World Vision supported Village with Finnish Delegates |
Tuesday 21.05.13
Today was the Zambia-Finland Business Seminar Day. We went to
Radisson Blu hotel with Leena Akatama and entered the seminar hall
receiving sponsor bags filled with informative papers and Team
Finland stuff. Minister of International Development Heidi Hautala,
Minister of European Affairs and Foreign TradeAlexander Stubb,
Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Emmanuel Chenda and Minister
of Lands, Natural Resources and Environment Wilbur Simuusa were
discussing about green economy and Zambian-Finnish relationships.
Discussion was led by Jorma Routti from Aalto University/CIM.
Hautala wanted to see economy and quality of life developing while
getting resource efficiency and adaptation to climate change at the
same time. She stated that Finland have Best Available Technology in
mining. She wanted to see foreign aid transforming into Aid-for-Trade
and Trade Development.
Stubb told jokes and told that Finland is a trading nation,
developing from the Top30 countries in the world to Top3, having 40%
of value in trading in fields of forestry, mining and IT. He wanted
Finland and Zambia to write together a common history that have not
yet existed. He told that cleantech already covers 1,6 trillion
globally and 20 billion in Finnish markets. Part of mental focus
should be addressed to Cleantech, because it is a good business.
Chenda told that Zambia is trying to eradicate poverty, protect
environment and grow economy. Biggest challenges were in the fields
of depleting biodiversity and bad water distribution services. He
stated that trading will help to combat these issues.
Silmuusa also stated that deforestation is a major problem with
annual 3000 ha lost to mining, charcoal production and agriculture
without significant rise in the general standards of living. Also
losing indignious trees was a problem and all these had to be
adressed with changes in habits
Jorma Routti raised the questions of preparing for the emerging
wasteful usage of electronics, getting efficiency and services around
energy issues.
Hautala wished to see renewable energy to cover the needs of everyone
in Zambia. Darkness prevents reading without electricity and still
1,3 billion people lack even the smallest electronic current. Small
scale solar systems good way to reach distant areas and road/energy
infrastructure could be improved by increasing the profits and tax
paying capacity of industries operating in Zambia. Hautala was glad
to see mining associations in Zambia beloning to the Extracting
Transparency Agency Initiative (EATI).
Stubb told that 50% of Finnish exportation is beign done by the
biggest 25 companies operating from Finland. 100 biggest companies
had the share of 75% of exportation. Totally 20 000 companies were
doing exportation. Stubb told that countries should accept the
companies to facilitate in their lands and give tax reductions to big
companies to seduce investments. He told about European 2020 energy
goals and stated that Finland is going to reach them. Incentives for
renewable energy capacity production are the priority one tools to
address energy problems and subsidies for cleantech development
(companies) number two. He tought that individuals make innovations
and things to happen - I had to silently but strongly disagree with
his view.
Silmuusa told that a new Forest Act to protect forests is enganing.
He raised the question how could cooperations together encourage
private sector to diversify business and agroforestry? Chenda
answered but unfortunately I was disturbed during the answer
preventing me making notes.
Routti stated that Zambia has a huge amount of promising innovations
that could show example for bigger companies to change. He thought
that individuals cannot do anything alone, but networks, cooperation
and common goals are needed to get things done.
Stubb answered that it was a blessing that Nokia kicked out 2000
engineers with start-up financing and services, so a big variety of
smaller innovative companies emerged. He also used a lot of time
advertising Nokia and Outotec.
Silmuusa stated that there is a need to promote entrepreneurship with
a variety of different tools. He told that Zambian Government will
develop investment services such as FinnPro & FinnVera.
Stubb continued that Zambian-Finnish governments and private sector
need to cooperate to provide microscale services and that free trade
is good to have. Before 6% of Zambian GDP from foreign aid, nowadays
2%. He also stated that quicker indoctrination methods for global
markets are needed.
Routti told that there is a global need for resource & data
mapping.
Hautala said that East Africa had managed to get a ban for plastic
bags and wished to see the same development in Europe and Zambia. She
also stated that European protective trade arrangements are
destructive for African economies and they need to change. She also
hoped that development cooperation would not be petting anymore but
cooperative business.
During astonishing lunch I had the chance to discuss with the
director of FinnPartnerShips Siv Ahlberg, representatives of the
foreign ministry, staff of EarthHouse and Ekolet, director of World
Vision Finland as well as finnish journalists about the situation in
Zambia, the reasons why so many important Finnish people were
attending and the future perspectives of Finnish-Zambian cooperation.
Since I had been in Zambia a few days longer, seen the rural areas
and done my studying about the country well I had a lot to say and we
had a really interesting and fruitful conversation. I also hoped to
give good impression to these people to make future cooperation
trustful and easy.
I attended another debate in the seminar hall about education. The
discussion was about how to attract ambitious programs and
investments to release the huge potential of rural & periurban
areas and their resources to promote business around hydropower,
solar energy, agriculture, mining and forestry. All agreed that
these are important issues, actors in these fields exist and are
interested but that government has to solve its organizing problems
with accrate legislation, services and good governance practices.
I also introduced Kallo Ylösjoki from Ekolet and Obew Kawanga from
Necos to each other and sketched a proceeding plan for them to
continue discussions with each other around dry sanitation
development in Zambia. I gave my contact information to both in case
of further questions.
During the coffee break the Man arranging the event came to our table
to ask if there are any Finns interested in discussing about energy
issues in the seminar. No one volunteered so I raised up and told
that I can have a few words there if necessary. Tha Man seemed really
happy and dragged me into the lions mouth to the Renewable Energy
Workshop room that was filled with CEOs from African energy
companies. I had 30 minutes time to make my presentation while the
representatives from Zesco, Doranova, Copperbelt Energy and Rural
Energy Iniative were presenting their own slideshows. I was the last
and discussed about how cross-border cooperation is important around
renewable energy to stabilize the production and demand peaks. I also
agreed with the CEO of Doranova that waste management and energy
production should be combined to provide multiple cost efficient
services. I also mentioned the small scale solutions such as solar
cookers, hydrogenerating sand dams and mini stoves to lower
deforestation rates. In the end I stated that not only electricity,
fuels and heat are energy, but food as well. I stated that diverse
diet is essential component in energizing the peoples brain capacity
and physical development and that this issue is essential when
discussing about energy services as well. I might not hit the spot or
the day was too long because not everyone seemed to agree with the
statement. I only took 5 minutes of their time and received a lot of
good feedback from different people after the presentation so I was
satisfied with my performance with such a short warning time.
After the seminar I headed back to ”Finnish Village” to prepare
for the evening event in the Finnish Ambassador Pertti Anttinen's
residence. I went to shower, dressed well and left with Maria
Ameziane and Karri-Pekka Kauppinen to the residence. We were among
the first guests to arrive and had time to see around the residence
which was a luxorious mansion with tennis course, pool, sauna, big
yard and setted up bar tables for the guests. We had a couple of
drinks, discussed with a lot of people including Minister of
International Development Heidi Hautala, Tekes Counsellor Riku
Mäkelä, educational entrepreneur Jukka Sormunen, Finnish
environmental management students Emma & Pieta from the Green
Living Movement, local music artists from Zambian Vocal Collection,
local Finnish habitats from different fields, Agora Center Project
Manager Mikko Pitkänen, Global Dry Toilet Association government
member and Doranova worker Ilkka Pulkkinen, Doranova CEO Jarno
Laitinen, and many others. Evening was joyful and filled with good
discussions, food and drinks. In the end of the event we decided with
Maria not to go the night club with others because of lack of
finances but returned to the Finnish Village.
 |
| Important & everything in Business Seminar, Radisson Blu |
Wednesday 22.05.13 & Thursday 23.05.13
I spent these days writing summaries about the discussions and ideas
during the seminar. I worked on the following topics:
- Dry Sanitation
- Farmers Best Practices Education Center (more above on 19.05.13
update)
- Aquaponics
- Agroforestry
- Sand Dams
- Increasing Zambian production capacity on the field of Food
Industry
- Solid and Liquid Waste Management methods and educational material
for Zambian NGO's
- Mobile Profession Kit as a Finnish tech development project
- Jewelry and handcrafts in global markets (left unfinished, needs
more preparation)
- Methods of Microfinancing (left unfinished, needs more preparation)
 |
| Maria Hanging around above Lusaka |
Friday 24.05.13
I spent the day emailing summaries to those contacts I had met during
the last week who had show interest about previously mentioned
topics.
 |
| Maria hanging around with one of the World's Biggest Pumpkins |
Weekend 25.-26.05.13
Saturday and Sunday were the first free days on the trip! Me, Maria
and Karri-Pekka hanged out with a Finnish UNDP worker Noora,
Norwegian embassy worker Marianne, Norwegian sports teacher volunteer
Lina, Norwegian embassy worker's daughter Kirsti, Netherlandic
aeroplane pilot Jorgjie, USAid worker Ed and British-Zambian cook
Jamie in the Norwegian resorts, which were really nice places.
Saturday we went to Dutch market to see all the beautiful crafts
Zambian artesans had made. This country had plenty of beautiful
woodcraft, painting and jewelry art as well as art made from recycled
materials. I wished I had a huge container and a ship and money to
buy all the beautiful art from here to be spread around Europe.
Sunday we had a sauna party at Finnish Village and even the non-Finns
seemed to enjoy it! Nice weekend overall!
 |
| Treasures in the Dutch Market |
Monday 27.05.13
Today we were supposed to go to Kaloko with Maria, but our contact
person Michelo was in the hospital in Ndola and our boss Sari
Huuhtanen told that we should not leave before she gets confirmation
about the location of the register plates of GDTF car. We wrote our
diaries, digged up information about water and sanitation policies
and organizations in Zambia and shared that information with Finnish
Ekolet company. We also took contact to Helsinki University to ask
about the project fund they had granted for Necos and did a quick
sketch about the planned greenhouse in Madimba area.
We also sketched a MASTERPLAN-file where we listed ideas what to do
before we leave:
- Green Living Movement to Buy Maize
from farmes, preserve & sell when prices higher. Profits to
support GLM activity.
- Subsidized School Lunches with Solar
Cookers
--> saves time, forest and children
from malnutrition, incentive to go to school
- Progressive taxation -> makes
starting legal business easier without destroying the nation
- An enterprise to empty the toilets in
nearby composters. ?Kr per emptying from the company. Ready compost
mixed in the plastic bags (5Kr / 500). Trees planted (moringa,
N2-fixers, (5Kr/500). Saplings sold forward to central market
retailers (price = x?/500).
--> a job that creates value for the
worker, suitable candidate is searched.
----> instruction sheet to fulfil
this task should be done
- Savings group organizing
instructions: handing out the instructions, contracts, box, locks &
notebook
- Microbank organizing instructions
- Renting
equipment with
pre-contracts to individuals who believe they can profit from the
equipment (mills, bee hives, oil press, juicing pots, bottling
devices, solar panels, tv, refridgerators, solar cookers, serving
dishes, furniture, decoratives, sewing machines, painting equipment,
cattle, cars,
-- collateral must be included in case of failure. Renting can be
stopped any time by the renter. Equipment must be insured to cover
possible damages.
In the evening I received a call from an Environment Climate Change
Youth Iniative (ECCYI) representative I had send information about
waste management and dry toilets. She showed especial interest in dry
toilets and I told her about the project in Madimba and gave Obed
Kawanga's (NECOS) number to her for meeting proposal. I told that
Obed could possibly show around the Madimba area and introduce the
dry toilets there.
I also sent an email to Arcades Mall Management and suggested they
should install a hydroponic growbed filter for their show-off
fish-pool to keep the it clean and increase the beauty of the area.
 |
| Fishpool at Arcades Mall - Aquaponic upgrades would suit well here |
Tuesday 28.05.13
Today we left to Kaloko after eating and getting more internet time
from the Cairo Mall MTN store. We barely got to the bust station in
time and got in to the bus a minute before it was supposed to leave.
Finally the departure took place half an hour late but at least we
got to there. Trip to Mpongwe Junction took about 4,5 hours where
people from Kaloko Trust were waiting for us. Michelo's husband
David, driver John and an administration assistant Cathrine from the school
picked us up and we discussed about differencies between Africa and
Europe in a good spirit the whole way.
We bought some food from the local shop and cooked in our lovely
kitchen. The accommodities were better than we expected and this
seemed like a nice place to stay for even longer.
 |
| Life in Kaloko |
29.05.13 Wednesday
We woke up and checked the infra around us. We had a firewood warming
barrel for washing water, a pit latrine filled with insects and the
dry toilet, which had its urea-separator blocked by sawdust but
otherwise worked fine.
We discussed with Lewis Jere about our assingments and he was
interested to hook us up with the Natural Resource Manager and
We also checked the dry toilets around the nearby area and following
problems were identified:
- some urea canisters were broken or missing
- full urea canisters from year back were stored in the manure
storage
- termites had eaten the wooden parts of the toilets
- very low amounts of manure due lack of use, low diets or recent
emptying
- some toilets were abandoned and the routes to them were grown full
of plants
- untidy interiors
- no paper or dry matter
Notations of good sides of dry toilets:
- No damage from the rain seasons
- Firm structures in good conditions
- Very little insects compared to pit latrines
Development suggestions:
- Seats to toilets would make usage more comfortable and active
- Composters to both manure, garden and kitchen waste would make
composting easier
- Tree nurseries
People were talking about how important they thought dry toilets
were, but this was not shown in practice. The Environmental Health
Technic didn't seem to give great value to the toilets either while
discussing about clinic conditions he just told that patients don't
need dry toilets. He was more concerned about getting water and
proper space for the clinic facilities.
The evening I spent providing retailer and cooperation contact
information to South African Moringa-company that is working together
with Imagine Rural Development Initiative (IRDI) from Zambia to
develop rural livelyhoods. My goal is to combine dry sanitation with
moringa growing value chain that could provide toilet maintenance
groups finances to continue working independently after GDTF leaves
the project site.
 |
| Olli & Maria in Kaloko |
Thursday 30.05.2012
Today I tried to find out about legislation of importing foodstuffs
to EU from Africa to create the value chain for Zambian and
South-African agriculture products. We also made an action plan for
the next week.
 |
| Maria getting familiar with local food culture |
Friday 31.05.2013
Today we went to Kaipiri Mposh to ”quickly do some shopping while
the motorbikes are repaired”. According to all safety standards we
travelled in the back of a pickup without seat belts, spines against
a corner of a bench and two badly tied motorcycles ready to jump on
us. Gladly the adrenaline rush from the wind, beautiful day and the
humour of the whole trip to Zambia this far kept me and Maria
laughing and enjoying the views. We arrived to Kaipiri Mposh and did
some grocery shopping - some succesfully (7kg bag of beans 35KR) and
some not so succesfully (10KR for bag ful of rotten onions..). The
trip took finally about 8 hours instead of three, since the repairing
of the motorcycles took a bit longer than expected. We travelled back
freezing in the back of the car since we didn't realise to take
enough clothing with us in the morning. On the way me made our best
deals along the road side buying a huge pumpkin, huge back of sweet
potatos, big bag of tomatoes and delicious green beans for 34KR.
 |
| Maria testing the local transport |
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